October 17, 2025
Two settlements can move forward in a suit brought by workers at red meat processing plants who alleged that Agri Beef Co., Indiana Packers Corp. and Washington Beef LLC engaged in a conspiracy to suppress wages, a Colorado federal judge ruled, finding the deals totaling $2.5 million are fair.
In an order Thursday, U.S. District Judge Philip A. Brimmer preliminarily approved a $1.4 million settlement with Agri Beef and Washington Beef and a $1.1 million settlement with Indiana Packers.
The deals bring the total of settlements the workers snagged to around $200 million as part of their 2022 suit alleging that beginning in 2014, the nation’s leading red meat processors — companies that produce nearly 80% of the country’s red meat — hired two consulting companies in an attempt to suppress workers’ pay in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.
Read 2 Deals Totaling $2.5M Advance in Meat Industry Wage Case.